ANNUAL REPORT 2017-2018 | 13
Cane – Burdekin Tender project
NQ Dry Tropics Sugarcane Team Leader Luke Malan with Clare cane
growers Heath (left) and Don Salter.
We have reduced applied nitrogen on
our farm by 20kg per hectare, whilst
maintaining yield and saving on fertiliser.
– Cane grower, Heath Salter
Going above and beyond to reduce nitrogen runoff
CANE growers in the Burdekin work hard to
We didn’t expect
improve their practices and reduce runoff – and
latest results from the Burdekin Nutrient Tender
project prove the effort is paying dividends.
The project supports cane growers
to reduce fertiliser use without
affecting yield, and in two years has
prevented 116 tonnes of dissolved
inorganic nitrogen (DIN) from
entering waterways and impacting
the Great Barrier Reef.
A high level of DIN in water has
been linked to outbreaks of crown
of thorns starfish on the reef, and
also provides ideal conditions
for weeds to thrive in rivers and
wetlands, which reduces habitat for
native fish and migratory birds.
The reduction in fertiliser rates was
achieved by 16 local growers in the
pilot round of the project, funded
by the Australian Government’s
Reef Trust.
Under the project, growers
proposed trialling ways to reduce
fertiliser use – and put a price on
the cost of making the change.
Trials included matching fertiliser
inputs to crop requirements and
using technology to only apply
fertiliser precisely where it is
needed.
growers to push
the limits of what is
possible, by going
beyond the contracted
fertiliser reductions
without reducing yield.
– Sugarcane Team
Leader, Luke
Malan
IMPROVING WATER QUALITY